ISS 2016 Statistics Paper-2 Solution: Question 78 (Phases of the Population Census)

Continuing our question-by-question walkthrough of the ISS 2016 Statistics Paper-2 test booklet, today's post tackles Question 78 — a short factual item on the structure of the Indian Population Census. It looks like a pure general-knowledge recall question at first glance, but as we'll see, reasoning it out carefully from how the Census is actually organised changes the answer you'd pick.

Quick Summary

• Topic:Official Statistics – structure and phases of the Census of India

• Question Reference:ISS 2016, Statistics Paper-2, Question 78

• Answer worked out independently:(a) 1 and 2 only

• Official answer key (Series A):lists (c) 1 and 3 only — we flag and explain this discrepancy below

The Question As It Appeared In The Paper

78. The first phase of Population Census is associated with which of the following?

1. House listing

2. Housing Census

3. Population Enumeration

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. (a) 1 and 2 only

2. (b) 2 and 3 only

3. (c) 1 and 3 only

4. (d) 1, 2 and 3

Step 1: Understand What "Phases" Means Here

The Census of India is not conducted in a single sweep. It is carried out in two distinct, time-separated phases, roughly a year apart from each other in the decennial cycle. The question is testing whether you know exactly which activities belong to which phase — not whether you have simply memorised that "there are two phases." That distinction is the whole trick of this item.

Step 2: Identify What Happens In The First Phase

The first phase of the Census is officially called the House listing and Housing Census phase. During this phase, enumerators visit every building and census house in the country and record two things together, in the same house-to-house visit:

• House listing:preparing a complete list of all buildings and census houses, numbering them, and recording basic identification details so that no structure is missed.

• Housing Census:collecting data on the condition of each house and the amenities and assets available to the household living in it — material of the roof and walls, drinking water source, electricity, latrine facility, assets owned, and so on.

These two activities are not separated in time or by a different team. They happen in the same house-to-house visit and are published together as the "Houselisting and Housing Census" data tables. This is why official notifications for both the 2011 and the ongoing 2027 Census refer to the first phase as a single combined exercise covering house listing and housing conditions together.

Step 3: Identify What Happens In The Second Phase

The second phase, conducted separately (typically several months to about a year later), is Population Enumeration. This is where enumerators return to each household and collect person-level demographic, social, economic, and cultural details for every individual — age, sex, marital status, education, occupation, migration, fertility, and (in recent cycles) caste. This is the phase that actually produces the "headcount" and the detailed population tables most people associate with "the Census."

Step 4: Match The Statements To The Correct Code

Putting Steps 2 and 3 together:

• Statement 1 (House listing) → part of the first phase.

• Statement 2 (Housing Census) → also part of the first phase, done in the same visit as House listing.

• Statement 3 (Population Enumeration) → this is the second, separate phase, not the first.

So the statements associated with the first phase are 1 and 2 only, which corresponds to option (a).

Pro Tip: The trap in this question is assuming "House listing" and "Population Enumeration" must be the two halves simply because they sound like the two most familiar Census activities. The way this kind of question is usually taught is to anchor on the

Final Answer And A Flagged Discrepancy With The Official Key

Working from the documented structure of the Census of India — where the first phase is explicitly titled the "Houselisting and Housing Census" phase and the second, separate phase is "Population Enumeration" — the statements associated with the first phase are 1 and 2 only. That makes the independently derived answer (a) 1 and 2 only.

The official answer key published for Series A of this paper lists the answer to Question 78 as (c) 1 and 3 only. We rechecked our derivation carefully against how the Census is actually structured and organised in practice (and how it continues to be organised in the ongoing 2027 Census cycle), and we could not find a basis for pairing "House listing" with "Population Enumeration" as the first-phase activities while leaving out "Housing Census," since House listing and Housing Census are carried out together, under one combined name, as the first phase. We are publishing our fully-justified derivation above while explicitly flagging this disagreement with the official key so readers can weigh both and reach their own informed conclusion; if you have access to the Census of India's own phase-wise documentation and read it differently, do share it in the comments.

Why This Question Matters

Questions on the machinery of Indian official statistics — who conducts which survey, in how many phases, and what each phase covers — show up repeatedly across ISS Paper-2. They are high-value marks because they don't require calculation, only precise recall, but that precision is exactly what trips candidates who learn facts loosely rather than anchored to official terminology. Getting comfortable with the exact names of statistical operations (as opposed to a rough paraphrase) is what converts "I think I know this" into a confidently correct answer under exam pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are House listing and Housing Census done together instead of separately?

Both require an enumerator to physically visit every building, so combining them into one house-to-house operation avoids repeating the same fieldwork twice. It is also more efficient to record a building's identity and its housing conditions in a single visit rather than sending separate teams months apart.

How much time typically separates the two phases of the Census?

Historically, the gap has been roughly six months to a year. In the 2011 Census, Houselisting and Housing Census ran from April to September 2010, while Population Enumeration followed in February 2011.

Does the Population Enumeration phase also update the house list?

No. The house list prepared in the first phase is used as the base frame for the second phase, so enumerators revisit the already-listed houses during Population Enumeration rather than listing them afresh.

Is caste data collected in the House listing phase or the Population Enumeration phase?

Caste and other detailed demographic, social, and economic attributes of individuals are collected during the Population Enumeration phase, not during House listing and Housing Census, which focuses on the physical dwelling and its amenities.

Which organisation conducts the Census of India?

The Census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

How should I prepare for this type of "machinery of statistics" question?

Build a simple table in your own notes for each major statistical operation – Census, NSSO surveys, Agriculture Census, and so on – listing the conducting body, number of phases, and what each phase covers. Drilling this kind of structured comparison repeatedly, which is how it's typically taught in a focused coaching setting such as Sunrise Classes, is far more reliable under exam pressure than trying to recall scattered facts individually.

If you spotted something we should look at again, or you're working through this same question and want to compare notes, drop a comment below — and if this walkthrough helped, consider sharing it with a fellow ISS aspirant who's revising Paper-2 alongside you.